We Margiela

We Margiela tells the untold story of the enigmatic and singular fashion house Maison Martin Margiela. For the first time, co-founder Jenny Meirens and the members of the creative team that stood at the heart of the house talk extensively about the creative processes and unique philosophies of the Maison. Their stories, told through detailed and intimate interviews, offer unprecedented insight into the genesis and unravelling of one of the most influential fashion houses of our time.

The film investigates the legacy of Maison Martin Margiela and its relevance for fashion and authorship today. As the history of the house is traced parallel to the creative development and economic success of Maison Martin Margiela, the film explores notions of creativity, authorship, and financial return in our neoliberal times. However, the insights of We Margiela are not quite
self-evident. Interviews reveal that many, now iconic, images and ideas of the Maison came into being by coincidence and intuition, not by preconceived concepts. The house was run based on strong gut-feelings and a deep commitment to taking creative risks. As co-founder Meirens states: ‘When you want to please others and everyone, you will get nowhere. I think you have to diversify yourself from others. In the long run, it will give you the freedom not to answer to the system.’

In the end, Maison Martin Margiela, was one of the earliest contemporary avant-garde fashion houses to succumb to the pressure of financial growth. After the selling of the house, both founders retired almost immediately from public life. Employees and aficionados were left disillusioned. Meirens and Margiela never spoke to one another again.

Co-founder Jenny Meirens died on 1 July 2017. The documentary shows how she remained unseen and unknown to many, yet played a vital role in the creation of the house, its approach and style. After Meirens’s death, the international media praised her visionary and trail-blazing work.

We Margiela is made possible by the Dutch Mediafund, Cobofund, Netherlands Film Fund and public broadcaster AVROTROS, and distributed by Cinema Delicatessen.

The film will premiere on Sunday October 22th, 2017 at Museum Boijmans van Beuningen and LantarenVenster in Rotterdam. The Fashion Museum MoMu in Antwerp and 10 Corso Como in Milan will host exclusive premieres on respectively Monday October 23rd and Thursday October 26th.

MAILING - SOLD OUT

To celebrate the release of our film and to offer you a unique impression of the atmosphere and contents of the forthcoming documentary and book, we have prepared a special mailing. It consists of three envelopes that will be sent to your home- or office address within a period of three months. In each envelope, you’ll find photographs and a curated selection of transcriptions from the interviews. The photographs were all made on location during the filming of the documentary. They show what we think are some of the most significant items in the history of the house.

All photographed items are part of the personal collections of people we have interviewed for the documentary and book. Though the photographs may be part of the film and the book, they will not be distributed online or in any other digital form. Subscribers to the mailing are free to decide whether they wish to keep the photos and texts for themselves or share the contents with friends, followers, readers, and believers.

The price of the mailing is 23 euro and covers the expenses of international postage and the printing of the photographs and texts. The mailing is limited to 999 subscribers, and each individual subscription is numbered.

PAYPAL Payment Processing
We offer our customers a secure and convenient method for making payments online using PayPal. The PayPal system uses industry-leading security measures to ensure that your financial information is kept private. To sign up for our ‘We Margiela Mailing’, use the “Check out with PayPal” button, you will complete your payment and shipping details on the PayPal website. Once PayPal clears your payment, we will send you an email confirming your purchase. Please note that you DO NOT need a PayPal account to subscribe to our mailing. You may pay with your VISA, MasterCard, or American Express card. Of course, if you have a registered PayPal account you may choose this for the purchase method without typing your credit card information. Signing up for a PayPal account is optional, which means that you can complete your payment first, and then decide whether you want to save your information in a PayPal account for future purchases. Additional information about the PayPal payment system may be found on the PayPal website.

Shipping
All orders are processed at our office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands as soon as possible, subject to payment clearance and stock availability. A preliminary confirmation will be sent by email when your order is placed and once our mail is shipped.

Refund Policy
Please note that all sales are final no refunds will be given. There is no option to cancel or return your order.

Local Taxes
Please note that local charges (sales tax, customs duty) may occur, depending on your region and local customs duties. These charges are at the customers own expense.

Collection and Use of Personal Information
All personal information you provide us with or that we obtain will be handled by mint film office as responsible for the personal information. The personal information you provide will be used to ensure deliveries and information
on our projects to you. The information you provide is only available to mint film office and will not be shared with other third parties. You have the right to inspect the information held about you. You always have the right to request mint film office to delete or correct the information held about you. By accepting the ‘We Margiela Mailing’ conditions, you agree to the above.

Cookies
Cookies are used in the site, in order to improve your experience of the site. The cookie identifies your computer and allows the site to remember your personal settings. Cookies are also used for statistical purposes. You can set
your browser to notify you when a cookie is to be activated. This enables you to reject usage of this cookie or to tell your browser to erase the cookie at the end of your visit.

mint film office is a documentary production company based in Rotterdam. We are a collective of people that aim to make films that offer compelling stories and that are visually challenging and creative. At the same time, we want our films to reflect on traditions in documentary film-making and question received ideas on storytelling and visualisation. It’s important to us that our films propose outspoken commentary on the social and cultural issues we feel are urgent.

mint has won several international awards for their documentary work. For a complete list of our films, see www.mintfilm.nl.

BOOK

The book We Margiela is based on extensive interviews with the creative team of Maison Martin Margiela, co-founder Jenny Meirens, factory directors, clients, and partners. The book is illustrated with photographs of unique Margiela designs and objects that we have made during the making of the documentary.

None of the people that were part of the collaborative ‘We’ of Margiela have talked this extensively and publicly about their experiences before. The book and the film expose a saga, in which friendship, partnership, shared creativity, and money set the stakes.

The book is written and produced by mint film office and will be published later.

TERMS & CONDITIONS

we margiela mailing
mint film office / december 2016

PAYPAL Payment Processing
We offer our customers a secure and convenient method for making payments online using PayPal. The PayPal system uses industry-leading security measures to ensure that your financial information is kept private. To sign up for our ‘We Margiela Mailing’, use the “Check out with PayPal” button, you will complete your payment and shipping details on the PayPal website. Once PayPal clears your payment, we will send you an email confirming your purchase. Please note that you DO NOT need a PayPal account to subscribe to our mailing. You may pay with your VISA, MasterCard, or American Express card. Of course, if you have a registered PayPal account you may choose this for the purchase method without typing your credit card information. Signing up for a PayPal account is optional, which means that you can complete your payment first, and then decide whether you want to save your information in a PayPal account for future purchases. Additional information about the PayPal payment system may be found on the PayPal website.

Shipping
All orders are processed at our office in Rotterdam, The Netherlands as soon as possible, subject to payment clearance and stock availability. A preliminary confirmation will be sent by email when your order is placed and once our mail is shipped.

Refund Policy
Please note that all sales are final no refunds will be given. There is no option to cancel or return your order.

Local Taxes
Please note that local charges (sales tax, customs duty) may occur, depending on your region and local customs duties. These charges are at the customers own expense.

Collection and Use of Personal Information
All personal information you provide us with or that we obtain will be handled by mint film office as responsible for the personal information. The personal information you provide will be used to ensure deliveries and information
on our projects to you. The information you provide is only available to mint film office and will not be shared with other third parties. You have the right to inspect the information held about you. You always have the right to request mint film office to delete or correct the information held about you. By accepting the ‘We Margiela Mailing’ conditions, you agree to the above.

Cookies
Cookies are used in the site, in order to improve your experience of the site. The cookie identifies your computer and allows the site to remember your personal settings. Cookies are also used for statistical purposes. You can set
your browser to notify you when a cookie is to be activated. This enables you to reject usage of this cookie or to tell your browser to erase the cookie at the end of your visit.